Friday, January 27, 2023

Five on Friday - January 27, 2023

Happy Friday!  Today's a special day in our world - it's my brother's birthday!  He's the one who always gets my calls asking for help.  And I'm lucky enough that the answer is always yes.  Happy birthday Ernie!  Thanks for being a great brother.


Now, on to my five for this week ~

1.  Maybe I Do
Maybe I Do opens today and it's definitely one I want to see.  First, because it's about a wedding and second, just look at all the people in the movie!  Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon.  It sounds really cute.  Here's the synopsis from Movie Insider ~
Michelle (Roberts) and Allen (Bracey) have reached the point in their relationship where they are considering next steps. They decide to invite their parents to finally meet and to offer some understanding of why marriage works. Turns out, the parents already know one another quite well, which leads to some differing opinions about the value of marriage.

We have been getting into hiking lately.  I wanted a pair of hiking pants, but I didn't want to break the bank.  These $10 ones caught my eye on Amazon and I decided to give them a try.  I love them!  They are lightweight, will dry quickly, and has great pockets.  You might just see me wearing them for more than just hiking pants.  



3.  Valentine's Earrings
Valentine's Day will be here before you know it.  Why not get yourself a new pair of earrings to celebrate the occasion!  I've been loving the beaded earrings from Amazon.  Making a decision on which pair to get is the hard part.



4.  Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt and Pepper
If you read my post from yesterday (Let's Make a Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Pepper Confiture), you already heard me talking about the Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt and Pepper.  They hand smoke the salt and pepper using the wood from Bourbon barrels.  The sea salt is coarse grain sea salt crystals.  Both the salt and pepper add a rich, smoky flavor to your food.  So, so good!  It's an excellent way to add flavor to your meals.  


5.  My cooking habits lately...


We are on vacation next week and are so, so excited!  Follow me on Instagram or pop in next week to see where we are off to.  
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Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Let's Make a Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Pepper Confiture

I love having a few recipes in my toolbox that I can whip up quickly and know will taste great.  Today I'm sharing one of those recipes - Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Pepper Confiture!


Here's What You Need
Pork Tenderloin (whatever size you need)
Rosemary


Let's take a minute and talk about these ingredients.  One of my favorite little stores near me is Fezziwig's located in O'fallon, Illinois.  If the store is far from you, they have a variety of infused olive oils on their website available for shipping.  Our pantry has several different flavors and bacon is always one of them!  Besides using it on meat, we use it a lot when roasting vegetables.

Another item that comes straight from Fezziwig's is their branded Cranberry Pepper Confiture.  Grab a jar of it too!  I'm sure other cranberry pepper sauces would work, but this one is superb.

Here's What You Do

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

Rub the bacon-infused olive oil over the meat.  


Season with the bourbon smoked sea salt, pepper, and rosemary.  I like using fresh rosemary, but rosemary flakes will work if you don't have fresh on hand.


Using an oven-safe skillet (I use cast iron), brown all sides of the meat in about a tablespoon of oil.  This should take about 6 minutes.  When all sides are browned, place the skillet in the 400-degree oven.  


Total cooking time usually takes about 20 minutes.  After 10 minutes, flip the meat for even cooking.  The meat is done when the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.

You should let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes after you pull it out of the oven.  This is when I mix together 3-4 tablespoons of the Cranberry Pepper Confiture and one tablespoon of water, place it in a saucepan and warm it up.  

Slice the meat and pour the warm Cranberry Pepper Confiture over the top.  The end result is a tasty, juicy entree!  


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Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - January 25, 2023

 


Welcome to another week of the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! We are so glad that you stopped by.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more. A friendly reminder to our guests that as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, be sure to link up below. You may be our next feature!

Before we get this party started, let’s meet the hosts and check out this week’s featured favorites.
MEET THE HOSTS
  1. Ahna – HAMMERS N HUGS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  2. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  3. Emily – LeCULTIVATEUR | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  4. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  5. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
  6. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
  7. Tara – STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST
  8. Denise – THIS IS MY EVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER

TOP VIEWED
VERY POPULAR
EDITOR'S CHOICE
LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please.  Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

Party entries appear in REVERSE. This way your entries will be seen no matter when you arrive. Please TWEET our party and invite others to join.

Let’s Party!

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Thursday, January 19, 2023

Five on Friday - January 20, 2023

Thank heavens it's Friday!  This week has totally kicked my butt.  I caught some kind of wicked stomach bug last weekend that totally took me down for a few days.  My awesome husband Eric picked up a lot of the slack and helped with many of the items on my to-do list.  I'm looking forward to getting back on track over the next couple of days!  Let me start by sharing my Five on Friday ~

1. Girl Scout Cookies
It's Girl Scout cookie season where we live and I'm not one bit sad about it.  Last weekend, a couple of the Girl Scouts in our neighborhood were walking around with a heap of cookies in a wagon selling them.  So excited to load our pantry with all our favorite flavors!  If you're looking for a cookie salesperson, please use mine!  She would greatly appreciate every purchase.  Click HERE to order yours today!


2.  Year of the Rabbit
It's time to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit!  Chinese New Year's is happening on Sunday when the new Moon occurs.  More places than China celebrate this holiday.  Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most celebrated and longest of all the Asian festivals.  Millions of people will observe by enjoying fireworks, eating delicious food, and lighting candles and lanterns.  How will you be celebrating?


3.  Women Talking
Women Talking opens this week and it's on my list to see.  It's getting lots of positive reviews and has achieved a positive 91% on the Tomatorator on Rotten Tomatoes.  Here's the summary ~
Do nothing. Stay and fight. Or leave. In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith.

I was so bummed that my old plug-in earbuds wouldn't work on my iPhone anymore because the jack wasn't the same.  I'm forever forgetting to plug in my wireless ones, then I didn't have a backup.  Thanks to my friend Stacy, problem solved!  She was using her plug-in earbuds with her phone and I asked her what her trick was.  She showed me this adapter and it has saved me so many times.  Now when my wireless earbuds go dead, there's no reason to panic.  I might be the last person on earth to know about this little gadget, but just in case I'm not I wanted to spread the word.  😉


5.  Parenting advice...


Have a great weekend!  We have a busy one on tap.  Tonight is our church small group meeting.  Tomorrow we'll be cheering on the Chiefs at our son and daughter-in-law's house and Sunday we're headed to my brother's for dinner.  So much fun ahead!  See you back next week.
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National Popcorn Day!

Hello there!  Today is National Popcorn Day and since popcorn happens to be one of my most favorite snacks, I thought I'd re-share a post I did years ago on making kettle corn.  

This recipe literally only takes a couple minutes to complete and I typically have all the ingredients on hand.  You can pull this off during a commercial break!

Here's What You Need
1/2 cup Popcorn Kernels
3 tablespoons Cooking Oil
1/4 cup Sugar
Salt


Here's What You Do
Put your Whirley Pop Popcorn Maker on the stove and turn on the heat.  I usually start on high and then reduce the heat to medium after the kernels begin popping.

Pour in the oil, kernels, and sugar.  Shut the lid and wait for the popping to begin.  As soon as you hear the first kernel burst, give the handle a turn and keep slowly turning while the rest of the kernels spring open.  (This is also when you turn the heat from high to medium.)


When the popping stops, remove from heat and pour into a bowl.  Sprinkle with salt.  Enjoy!


Happy National Popcorn Day!  


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Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - January 18, 2023

 


Welcome to another week of the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! We are so glad that you stopped by.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more. A friendly reminder to our guests that as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, be sure to link up below. You may be our next feature!

Before we get this party started, let’s meet the hosts and check out this week’s featured favorites.
MEET THE HOSTS
  1. Ahna – HAMMERS N HUGS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  2. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  3. Emily – LeCULTIVATEUR | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  4. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  5. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
  6. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
  7. Tara – STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST
  8. Denise – THIS IS MY EVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
TOP VIEWED

VERY POPULAR

EDITOR'S CHOICE

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please.  Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

Party entries appear in REVERSE. This way your entries will be seen no matter when you arrive. Please TWEET our party and invite others to join.

Let’s Party!


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Thursday, January 12, 2023

Five on Friday - January 13, 2023

Woo Hoo - it's Friday!  The first Friday the 13th of the year.  This only happens twice in 2023 and we will see it again in October.  Hope this Friday the 13th is a lucky one for you!  It's already lucky for me because you stopped by the blog.  

Now, let's take a look at my five for today ~

A few months ago, I bought a new print for my workspace.  It's now framed and hanging for everyone to see.  I love it!  Carly is a self-taught illustrator and printmaker that creates prints, tote bags, stickers, and pins.  Her items are available at her online shop HERE.  Check out all the cool messages she turns into prints and bright colors!

Carly Clark Art

2.   McCrea's Rosemary Truffle Sea Salt Caramels
We stumbled across these McCrea's Rosemary Truffle Sea Salt Caramels recently and love them!  I love them so much, I've already gifted them to a few people and I'm buying more pouches to put in some goody bags I'm working on.  If you're looking for a unique candy to give someone on Valentine's Day, keep these in mind.  They are a perfect blend of sweet chocolate, earthy rosemary, and crunchy salt.  We got ours at one of our favorite little stores close to us - Fezziwig's in O'fallon, Illinois.  They are also available straight from McCrea's website HERE.  
McCrea's Caramels
Our son and daughter-in-law got Eric the best gift for Christmas - a rechargeable hand warmer!  He's in and out of the cold a lot in the winter and having this gem in his pocket has been so nice.  I'm a huge fan of the hand warmers that are single-use, but this takes hand warming to a new level!  First, it's so much more sustainable because you can recharge and reuse it over and over.  It has three levels of heat and will last up to 12 hours before needing to be recharged.  I might slip this in my coat pocket when Eric isn't looking.

Hand Warmer


4.  EarPlanes
We've got a trip to Hawaii coming up and I'll be packing a box of EarPlanes with us.  My ears don't always do great on long flights, so I'm hoping that by using these I won't have any air pressure discomfort.  They are safe, super comfortable, and disposable.  Definitely worth a try.


5.  I can relate to this...


Enjoy the weekend!  I have a huge wedding project to work on that I need to have finished by Monday.  Pop in next week to see how it went.

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Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Top 12 Blog Posts from 2022

Hey there!  Thanks for popping into Thinking Out Loud Thursday.  This is a time I reflect on something I'm thinking out loud about and invite you to link up and do the same.  Today I'm reflecting on my blog posts from 2022 and sharing the top 12 with you.

During the first part of January, I always find myself being very reflective of the previous year.  As I mentioned in my Reflecting on 2022 post, last year wasn't my most stellar year.  That's reflected in the number of blog posts I did last year - a total of 170.  That was the lowest number of posts I have done since starting the blog in 2014!  Of those 170, my Weekending and Five on Friday posts consistently are among some of my most viewed posts.  Taking those out of the mix, today I'm sharing my top 12 posts from 2022.  Here they are in date order ~



Thanks for all the times you stopped by in 2022 to view my posts!  I'm looking forward to sharing more with you in 2023.

Now it's your turn - what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!






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Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop - January 11, 2023

 

Welcome to another week of the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! We are so glad that you stopped by.

Here you will find inspiration from dozens of bloggers including recipes, home DIY, gardening, decor, family fun, traveling, fitness, and so much more. A friendly reminder to our guests that as a courtesy to the hosts, we ask that you follow every host on at least one social media channel.

If you are a blogger, be sure to link up below. You may be our next feature!

Before we get this party started, let’s meet the hosts and check out this week’s featured favorites.
MEET THE HOSTS
  1. Ahna – HAMMERS N HUGS | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  2. Bev – ECLECTIC RED BARN | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  3. Emily – LeCULTIVATEUR | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  4. Penny – PENNY’S PASSION | FB | IG | PINTEREST
  5. Sinea – DUCKS ‘N A ROW | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
  6. Tammy – MY LIFE ABUNDANT | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER
  7. Tara – STILETTOS AND SHIPLAP | IG | PINTEREST
  8. Denise – THIS IS MY EVERYBODY | FB | IG | PINTEREST | TWITTER

TOP VIEWED
Layered Black Forest Cake Recipe

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Please follow all hosts on AT LEAST 1 of their social channels.

Add as many family-friendly posts as you would like to. NO Etsy shops, adult sites, or blog parties please.  Visit others. Caring is sharing. Like, comment, and pin posts.

Party entries appear in REVERSE. This way your entries will be seen no matter when you arrive. Please TWEET our party and invite others to join.

Let’s Party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
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